


Walking in Darkness

by BlackFury



Category: Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-21
Updated: 2012-10-20
Packaged: 2017-11-16 17:35:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/542058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackFury/pseuds/BlackFury
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While undercover, Peter sees something so horrific that he retreats into his own mind and becomes catatonic.  When even Kwai Chang Caine cannot reach his own son, he despairs until Jody Powell's new room mate turns out to be the key to Peter's recovery.  However, they then learn she has a mystery of her own that needs to be solved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The young man was sitting quietly in a chair in the hospital room. The chair had been turned so he could look out of the window but his eyes saw nothing. He just sat there, no expression on his face. His eyes, hazel in color were wide open and staring at what no one else could see.

The nurse making the bed made small talk about the weather, the state of affairs, etc but, there was no response. A few minutes later, the doctor came in to check on him but, as always since the young man had been admitted, three weeks ago, there was no response. They could get him to walk across the floor to the bed, to the bathroom but he was more or less like an automation.

The Doctor left the room shaking his head and met the grey haired man in the hallway. "He's still not talking. Do you know what happened to him?" The grey haired man slowly shook his head, "No, I found him that way in his apartment and brought him here. I do not know what has happened to make him like this."

The Doctor nodded, "You're going to have to talk to his colleagues. We have to know what happened to put him in this state." The grey haired man nodded and looked into the room. Tears started in his eyes as he turned away and left. He walked to the 101st Precinct and asked to see Captain Simms. 

Karen looked up as Kwai Chang Caine walked into her office and sat down. "I need to know what happened to my son, Captain." Karen leaned back. "We don't know, Caine, we don't know. I have Kermit looking into the last case Peter was working when this happened. As soon as I know, I will tell you, I promise. How is he?"

The pain in Caine's eyes made her wince, "He is still catatonic. He does not speak, he stares in front of him, he does not respond to anyone or anything. Whatever happened has so overwhelmed his mind that he cannot assimilate it. We must find a way in or...." His voice trailed off.

"Or what, Caine?" Karen asked apprehensively. Caine's eyes closed. "Or Peter will never come back to us, he will stay as he is for the rest of his life, trapped in his own mind by whatever horrors he has seen."

Kermit was in his office, eyes rivieted on his computer monitor as he went through Peter's recent cases. There had to be something that Peter had either experienced or witnessed that had been so horrific to plunge the young detective into the mental state he was now in. Kermit had never seen anything like this before and it frightened him.  
It frightened him because Peter had always been so level headed, so calm. For this to have happened to him...Kermit shuddered.

He stopped when a sheet popped up on his screen. Peter had been working undercover in Child Services for about a month before this happened. Kermit pulled up the case Peter had been working on. A family known for fostering abandoned children had been investigated after word had reached them that the family was abusing the kids in their care.

The family, the Ryersons, had eight foster children in addition to their three natural children. Finally, Child Services had gotten a call that something was wrong at the house and they, including Peter, had gone out there. It was a couple of days after that Caine, having not heard from his son, had found Peter huddled in the corner of his apartment, just staring out in front of him.

Kermit pulled up the report and then saw a police report appended to it. He pulled it up and his eyes widened. "My God," he said out loud, "No wonder Peter retreated into his own mind." He printed out everything he had found and headed to Captain Simms office with the printout. He saw Caine was in there as well.

Karen looked up as Kermit came in and frowned when she saw his face. "What have you found Kermit? And no, there has been no change in Peter's condition." Kermit nodded and sat down, laying the printout on Karen's desk. "I found out what happened, Captain and it isn't pretty. It explains what happened to Peter." He looked over at Caine. "It gives us something to work with."

Karen picked up the first sheet. "This happened while Peter was working undercover in Child Services?" Kermit nodded. Caine remembered Peter telling him about the assignment.

FLASHBACK FOUR MONTHS EARLIER-----------------------

Peter walked into his father's kwoon and found him working at the apothecary bench. Peter smiled. He was so happy to have his father back with him. Peter leaned against the wall and just watched the elderly Shaolin work. Presently, Caine spoke, "You have something to say, my son?"

Peter smiled as he moved forward to embrace his father. "I have an undercover assignment coming up which means I'll be out of touch with you for a couple of months at least. I'm going in to work Child Services. We've had some reports of some of the agents working with the foster parents in a way that has been detremential to the children and I'm going in to see what I can find out."

Caine nodded, he knew how much Peter loved children and how he looked forward to one day having his own. "I know you will do well, my son. Just, be careful?" Peter nodded, "You know I will be, Father. I love you." Caine smiled as he hugged him. "And I you, my son, always."

END FLASHBACK----------------------------------------

Caine looked at Kermit, "Then, what happened to my son, what made him like he is now, a prisoner within his own mind?"

Kermit looked at Caine, "Peter and Child Services got a call that something was wrong, badly wrong at the house so, they went out there." He handed the report to Captain Simms and she looked it over, "My God in heaven," she whispered, "No wonder he's in this state of mind, anyone would be." She looked at Caine.

"There's no easy way to say this, Caine. When they arrived, the children had been slaughtered, all of them. They had all be stabbed or had their throats cut. Then, the parents had committed suicide. According to this report, Peter found the two youngest, the three and four year olds. They said the place looked like a bloodbath. No wonder Peter left so abruptly."

Caine nodded, "To see that done to innocents would have a profound effect on my son. He cares deeply for children, he did back at the temple, always protecting the weak and younger ones from the bullies in the town. My son cannot assimilate why anyone would do this to children and therefore has, indeed, retreated into his secret place. bringing him back is no longer impossible now that I know what has caused this."

Caine rose to his feet, "I must take my son home, only then can I work with him and bring him truly home. I thank both of you and, I will keep you informed of his condition as we work." He bowed and left, heading back to Counry General and his son. He had to save Peter's mind and his soul and he could only do that at the kwoon.

He arrived at the hospital and went straight to Peter's room. He was still sitting in the chair staring towards the window. Caine went to the nurses' station and soon, the Doctor in charge was called. Caine told him what he wanted to do. The Doctor listened and nodded, "There isn't much else we can do for him here. I'll arrange to have him released into your care."

Caine nodded, "You can do one more thing for me, Call Kermit Griffin at the 101st precinct to come and get us?" The Doctor nodded and soon, Caine was waiting for Kermit to arrive with a fully dressed Peter beside him. The Kermit mobile pulled up and the two men got Peter into the car then they drove to Caine's kwoon.

They got Peter out and took him upstairs and Caine sat him in a chair on the terrace. He looked at Kermit, "I want you and Peter's friends to come and talk to him about what happens at the Precinct, please?" Kermit nodded, "I'll tell them, Caine." He then left the two alone. As Kermit drove back to the 101st, he wondered if Peter was already too far gone. He hoped not, he sincerely hoped not.

After Kermit had gone, Caine went into the meditation/workout room and lit some incense in front of the statue of Bhudda and prayed to the Tao for guidance. As Caine turned, Lo Sei was there beside him. Caine smiled, "My old friend, we will retrieve your son, it will be a long process however but, it will be done."

Caine nodded and the two of them went out to the terrace where Peter sat staring, always staring out in front of him. Lo Sei looked at him narrowly and asked Caine what had happened. As he was told, Lo Sei shook his head sorrowfully. "Caine, we must bring him inside and take him into the meditation room. Come." The two of them got Peter up and they walked inside.

They had Peter sit on the floor and then began lighting the candles around him. Caine then sat facing his son as Lo Sei finished and stood outside the circle to monitor both of them. Caine took Peter's hands in his and tried to link their chi's as they had done a few time before but this time, as hard as Caine tried, he could not reach his son.

He kept trying until Lo Sei touched his shoulder. Caine released Peter's hands and slumped back, tears streaming down his face. "Even I cannot reach him, my friend. I cannot reach my son. He has gone beyond where even I can reach him." Caine leaned against his friend and cried as he had never wept before.

Lo Sei was silent, he knew neither of them could reach Peter now but there was one out there who could, if they would only try. But, Lo Sei knew they could not bring that one here, they had to come of their own accord or all would be lost. Caine finally slumped and Lo Sei put him to bed. He left Peter sitting there in the circle of candles, knowing that the Tao was watching over him now.

Peter didn't even know where he was, he hadn't known anything since that last day after going home from the crime scene. He had looked on the scene of the slaughter and had found the youngest two in their room, holding onto each other as they had died. It was more than he could handle. His mind began questioning everything he had ever been taught.

He had tried to retreat to his secret place, to that part of his mind where no one else would dare come to look for him. It was the only way he could deal with the pain he was experiencing. He couldn't get his mind around the fact that someone would do that to innocent children. He had seen a lot of bad things as a police detective but this, this he had never seen before. He didn't want to come out, he didn't want to have to face that world ever again.

But, instead, he found himself trapped in that house with all of those dead children, children he had tried to protect. His failure was more than he could handle so, he rolled himself into a fetal position, trying to shut out everything around him, trying to hide.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

33 year old artist Cameron Matthews was in her studio working on a commissioned piece when she suddenly stopped. There were images in her mind that would not go away. It was as if....as if they were demanding to be seen, to be expressed. She had never experienced anything like this before but, those images just would not go away. She laid down the brush she had been using and walked over to a blank canvas, picked up a clean brush, dipped it into the paint pot and began working, not stopping until two hours had passed.

She stepped back to look and gasped. She was known mainly for her portraits and landscapes but this, this was a scene straight out of hell itself. Dead children, blood everywhere and, in the middle of this carnage was a young man, about the same age as she was, lying on the floor in a fetal position. He had dark, sandy hair and hazel eyes that just stared into nothingness.

She looked carefully at the face and nodded, "I know that face from somewhere, I've seen him before but, where?" About then, the evening news came on the television and the report about Peter was aired. She stared at the photograph on the screen and looked back at the painting she had just finished. There had been no reports about the carnage in her painting. "Then," she wondered to herself, "How did I know about this?"

Just then, her best friend and roommate walked in. Jody Powell looked at the canvas and then stared at Cammy, as her friends called her. "How did you know?" "Know what, Jody?" "How did you know about Peter's last case? How did you know the layout of the crime scene?" Cameron's grey-green eyes were frightened. "I don't know, Jody. I was working on that piece over there," she pointed to a half finished portrait, "When I just had to do this. I did it in two hours without stopping."

Jody stared at the painting for a long time. "Cammy, I think it's time you met Peter's father and we're taking that painting with us. It just might help Caine in reaching Peter. He's been home with his father for three weeks now and Peter is still catatonic." The frightened woman nodded, placed the now dry canvas in a folio container and changed out of her working clothes into sneakers, jeans, a turtleneck and a jacket. Jody picked up the folio and the two got into Jody's car and drove to the main part of Chinatown. Soon, they pulled into a side street next to a warehouse. Jody got out and her friend followed her.

They walked into the meditation room where Caine was seated looking at Peter, who still stared into nothingness. he didn't even recognize Jody, his partner. Jody spoke, "Master Caine, I brought someone you need to meet, she's my best friend and roommate and she's an artist. She just painted something you need to see." Caine opened his eyes and looked. He slowly rose to his feet and Cameron stepped forward. "Master Caine? My name is...."

Caine started at her. "Laura?" He said

Caine stared at the young woman before him as if looking at a dream. It was as though his wife had come back to life. Cameron looked at him, "Actually, my name is Cameron, Cameron Matthews. My friends call me Cammy. Are you all right?" She asked. Caine's eyes focused and he smiled, "Forgive me, you look almost like my wife when she was your age. I am Caine. Jody says you know something about my son?"

Cameron looked at him. "I wonder, You see, I was adopted from birth and never knew my real mother so, I have no idea where I came from." Caine looked at her then, she laid the folio on the table and unzipped it. "I was working on a portrait when I suddenly began getting these images in my mind and I had to stop what I was doing and paint this." She pulled out the canvas and showed it to Caine.

He looked at the painting and gasped. Now he understood why Peter had retreated. To have seen such carnage had wreaked havoc on Peter's gentle soul. Caine now understood why Peter had withdrawn into himself. Jody came over. "The thing is, Caine that, with the exception of Peter, this is how we found the crime scene. The children were in their rooms and the parents were in their own bedroom. Everything was just as it was when it happened but, Peter evidently had already been there and left."

Caine nodded, "It was not long after that I found him in his apartment." Cameron listened to all of this then, looked Caine. "What I don't understand is how and why did I see this? I don't know your son, not personally anyway and i've never seen you before until now." Caine looked at her again then, beckoned her to follow. "Come, there is something I wish to show you."

She and Jody followed Caine into the apothecary and he pulled an old photo out of a drawer and held it out to the confused young woman. She looked at it and her eyes widened. "It....it could be a picture of me, who is it?" She asked. Caine took it back and smiled at it fondly. "It is a photo of my wife and Peter's mother, Laura Caine."

Cameron stared at the photo, "It could almost be me, I don't understand this." Jody looked at her, "What city did your parents adopt you in?" Cameron looked at her, "San Francisco, California. Mercy Hospital in the Mission District. According to what the records said, my biological mother agreed to give me up and two days later, she left. I don't know anything else. She didn't give her name or anything."

Jody nodded, "When is your birthday?" Cammy smiled, "May 21st, 1965." Caine's eyes widened and Jody looked at him. "What is it Caine?" The elderly Shaolin looked at both of them. "Peter was born the same year. I do not understand." Jody frowned, "Had Laura been away that month?" Caine nodded, "She went to visit her sister in San Francisco. But, it is not possible, is it?" Jody shrugged, "The only way to find out is a DNA test."

Cameron looked at them both, "A DNA test? Why?" Jody looked at her, "There is a possiblity that you are Peter's sister. Why you were adopted, we have no idea but, the test comes first." She went over to her bag and pulled out a DNA swab package and took one from inside Cammy's cheek. Then, as she capped it, she smiled, "Dr Sabourn already has Peter's DNA on file. I'll be back as soon as we have a result. I'll have her put a rush on it." Jody left.

After Jody had gone, Cameron looked at Caine, her eyes clearly showing their confusion. "If the DNA is a match, does that mean that you are my real father?" Caine smiled, "It would seem to be so, child but, what I cannot understand is why my wife would give you up for adoption?" Cameron shook her head, her eyes still confused, "I don't know. Where is Peter? Do I need to see him?" 

Caine led her to the room Peter was in, still seated and staring at nothing. Cameron looked at him and again, she felt that "connection" she had felt when she had done the painting. She walked over and sat next to him. "Peter?" She asked, "Can you hear me? I'm not sure how to explain this but, it seems I might be your sister. I'm not really sure who I am but, I saw what you saw. I want to help you, if you will let me." She wasn't sure but, she thought she heard a faint voice in her mind but, it was garbled so, she said nothing.

Jody had arrived in Dr Sabourn's office and explained the situation to her. The good Doctor agreed to put a rush on the sample and Jody sat down to wait. About 45 minutes later, Dr. Sabourn came back with the file and handed it to Jody. Jody thanked her and left to go back to the kwoon.

Cameron had taken Peter's hand in hers and was softly talking to him when Jody walked back in. She held the file out to Caine. "I haven't looked at it. I thought I'd leave that to you." Caine nodded and opened the file then, a puzzled look came over his face. "You are related to my wife but not to me. I do not understand. My wife is not your mother but you are related to her somehow. There is something else, you share DNA with myself and Peter but, I am not your father and Peter is not your brother. I do not understand this."

Cameron looked at him. "I don't understand it either but, if I can help Peter, I would like to try. Is that still possible, even with what you have told me? If I share DNA with Peter, maybe that's why I can see these images." Caine nodded, "Yes, since you are related to his mother, you have a connection to him. You may be correct, Cameron, we must try. Come, I cannot reach him. For some reason, Peter will not admit me to his mind. Hopefully, you can if you are still willing to try. Cameron smiled, "Yes, I have family, something I thought I would never have again. I want to help." Caine nodded.

Cameron followed Caine back to where Peter was seated in the meditation room, still surrounded by candles. Cameron looked around and saw a very elderly Chinese man tending the candles. She was suprised, she had seen him before but, she didn't know where or when. Lo Sei smiled when he saw her and nodded to her.

Cameron sat in front of Peter, as Caine directed her to. "Now, clasp Peter's hands in yours and close your eyes. Lo Sei and I will guide you in what to do, child, do not fear. You will encounter many things in Peter's mind that you will not understand. Press forward, find him, reach him. He will not let me in, I do not know why."

The young artist nodded, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I am ready, I think." She said. Caine smiled at her and laid his hands on her shoulders as he sat behind her. She felt the powerful presence of his mind and let him guide her where to go. He had been right, there were things she saw that she did not understand but then, they reached the latest memory, the house where all those children died.

When Cameron arrived outside the house, she felt Caine step back. "Peter will not let me go any farther. You must go alone. Perhaps you can help him." She squared her shoulders and said, "I will try." Then, she walked up onto the front porch, put out her hand and opened the front door. 

It was dark inside but, strangely enough, she could still see clearly. She could smell the smell of death permeating the place and then, she saw Peter sitting in a corner, his legs drawn up and his arms around his legs. She walked over and crouched next to him. "Peter?" She said softly, "My name is Cameron Matthews. I'll listen if you need to talk."

Peter raised his head and looked at her. "Cameron? You look familiar, kind of like me." She smiled, "I know. It seems I'm a long lost family member. I don't know how all of this happened but, you sent me a message. I painted the images you sent to me. Why did you send them to me and not to your father?" Peter's eyes widened and looked at her again. "You look like Mom did back then."

Then, he began to look around. "I couldn't save them. I tried to, I really tried to. But, when I came back they were all gone." Tears began leaking down his cheeks as he looked around. Cameron pulled his head down to her shoulder. "It hurts, I know. There is only so much you can do. You try to save them but, you cannot save them all, no one can. I lost my parents two years ago in a car wreck. No one could save them, not even me. It hurt."

Peter's arms suddenly went round her waist and he began crying harder as grief finally found release. "It hurt so much, I just couldn't face it anymore. It reminded me of the temple, when it was attacked and destroyed. I tried to save the children and some of them I couldn't save, no matter how hard I tried. I decided to hide but, it didn't work. I was going to my secret place but, I ended up here and I couldn't get out."

Cameron held him. "Why didn't you let your father in?" Peter sniffled, "I didn't want him to see all of this. I didn't want him to see me like this." She smiled, "He helped me get here to you but he's waiting outside and he's really worried about you. Are you ready to leave?" Peter looked around, "I don't know if I can."

Cameron suddenly remembered something, "The old man with your father told me to tell you that if you stay, they cannot re enter the circle. You have to let them go besides, if you stay here, who will help the rest of the children?." They both rose to their feet and Peter looked around. "I need to go. You're right, I've forgotten the responsibilities I have. Let's go." When Cameron finally opened her eyes, she found Peter's head and torso lying in her lap, tears streaming down his face. She was crying too.

Three days later, Peter was sitting cross legged on the terrace letting the sun warm his body. Once he had returned to himself, he had called Kermit and had him look into Cameron Matthews. Kermit had called earlier that morning and said he was coming over that afternoon with what he had found out.

Cameron was inside talking quietly with Caine and Lo Sei about what to do now that she had found her family. Caine wanted her to continue with her art. "I want you to continue with what you love to do. Your art makes you happy, does it not?" She smiled, "Yeah, it does really. What are you going to do with the one I brought over, the one of the images Peter sent me?"

Caine was thoughtful then, Peter was there. "I'll take it. I want to keep it, to remind me that I cannot be Superman. I want to honor their memories." He looked at his father, "Does that sound crazy?" Caine smiled, "No, my son. It does not."

Then, Kermit Griffin strode into the room with his laptop under his arm. "Hey, kid, you look a hell of a lot better than you did a few days ago. I found what you wanted me to find." He sat the laptop on the raised platform and turned it on. After typing a few keystrokes, Peter read what came up on the screen. 

Peter let out a low whistle. "That makes sense." He looked at his father. "Cameron is your niece. Seems that Mom's sister, Christina, was also pregnant at the time. The father deserted her and she called Mom to help her. They went to Mercy Hospital and Chris had a girl, Cameron. She put her up for adoption immediately because she knew their parents would never accept her."

Caine smiled, "Your mother was very close to her sister. If she had asked, I would have told her she could have brought the child home with her. I would have raised her as our own." Cameron looked at him, "You would have?" Caine smiled, "Yes, of course I would have."  
Cameron smiled a little, "What happened to my mother?"

Peter looked at the screen. "She died two years later in a plane crash heading to New York City. I'm sorry." Kermit spoke up. "I checked her will and she left everything to you. She named specifically that you were to be found and the estate turned over to you. Seems that her parents died about a year before that. According to this, you are a very rich woman now."

Cameron was thoughtful. "I really don't care about the money. I love what I do as an artist." Kermit grinned, "Seems Christina Carter was also an artist. Look here." Cameron looked at the monitor and saw three paintings that were absolutely beautiful. They were all signed, "C. Carter."

Lo Sei smiled as he carried in the tea tray, "The Tao led you here, young one. The Tao guides the footsteps of the Caine line as it has always done, since the time of Peter's great grandfather. Come, sit, have tea and learn about this heritage. You are Peter's cousin and part of this can be yours as well. Kermit, you are welcome to stay if you wish."

Kermit grinned, he wasn't about to miss this for anything. Soon, they were all seated on the terrace and Cameron listened raptly as Peter and his father, her uncle and cousin, told her stories about her new found family. She felt at peace now, the restlessness that had been inside of her for many years was gone. She was where she belonged now, and she knew it. The only thing that still nagged at her was the question of who was her father?

Finis?


End file.
